Painting History: China’s Revolution in a Global Context By Jiawe ...

because I could not portray myself in the work. A painter friend had his girlfriend model for a poster commission: the person in the painting bore no resemblance to his girlfriend, but because someone had reported him, the 100,000 printed copies of his poster were trashed and the artist was barred from painting for two years.

My friend Liu Yulian¹⁰ and I discussed collaborating to paint Ussuri River Fishing Song, and we submitted our proposal at the annual review in the winter of 1973. It was approved, and we went to do life sketches in Hulin County situated on the bank of the Ussuri River. The Sino-Soviet border runs along the Ussuri, and Russia and China each had their own twenty-meter watchtower to monitor the other side. We were granted permission by our garrison to ascend the watchtower. At the time, there was a popular song praising the proud bearing of our frontier guards and, while climbing up, a line from that song came into my mind: “Standing guard for our great motherland.” I was convinced that this was also an excellent subject for a painting, and in February 1974 the Art Class approved the idea, and work on the second painting also began with Hao Boyi’s full support. Liu and I were allocated a small room in the Corps Recreation Club. He worked on Ussuri River Fishing Song, while I worked on Standing Guard for Our Great Motherland.

Liu and I were again sent to make sketches from life. This time we went to Raohe County, adjoining Hulin County. Zhenbao Island, in Raohe County, had been the flashpoint of the Sino-Soviet border conflict that was reported internationally in April 1969. Once again, we climbed the watchtower. The garrison consisted of a company of PLA troops, and the commander, who was just two years older than I, was from a worker background. He was slim and fit, and he treated the soldiers like brothers. I painted his portrait, and he became the prototype for the commander of my painting. A soldier nicknamed Xiao Wang also posed for me, and he became the prototype for the soldier in my painting.

While making my preliminary life sketches, I recorded in minute detail everything I saw, from the model of the rifles to the structure of the